In 2019, there were about 259,300 people without health insurance in Kansas, per data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). That represents around 9.2% of the state’s population. When KFF looked at the uninsured rate again in 2021, they estimated that of the people who still didn’t have coverage, just under 138,000 of them were eligible for a marketplace plan.
Marketplace plans are regulated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the current healthcare law in the U.S. Under the ACA, marketplace insurance has to cover pre-existing conditions as well as a set of 10 essential health benefits. These plans also comply with other rules of the ACA, including helping people afford coverage in the first place.
By law, advance premium tax credits, aka subsidies, are available to people earning between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level.
Of the people in Kansas who still don’t have health insurance but who would qualify for coverage on the marketplace, KFF found that over a third of them (34%) could use a subsidy to get a bronze health plan for free.
Most people qualify for these tax credits, too.
KFF also calculated the average lowest cost plan in each metal category for 2021 and found that, on average, lowest-cost bronze plans were about $373 a month, silver plans cost $470 and gold cost $501.
These figures don’t include the tax credits that might lower the cost for most people. If you qualify for subsidies, you may save money with a marketplace plan.
Using data from our own marketplace, we found that a 40-year-old living in Wakarusa, KS, with an income of $37,000 a year may pay $186 a month for a bronze plan thanks to premium subsidies.
As usual with health insurance, coverage options and cost depend on where you live. In 2021, there are at least 6 insurers offering comprehensive coverage in Kansas. Among them are BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas, Cigna, Oscar and Centene.
Sources
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Health Insurance Coverage of the Total Population”
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Marketplace Eligibility Among the Uninsured: Implications for a Broadened Enrollment Period and ACA Outreach” (January 27, 2021)
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Average Marketplace Premiums by Metal Tier, 2018-2021”
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Insurer Participation on the ACA Marketplaces, 2014-2021” (November 23, 2020)